Heart and Home
by Charlene Edwards
Summary: Bruce has a little family time


Title: Heart and Home (1/1)  
  
Author: Charlene Edwards  
  
Rating: PG  
  
Story Synopsis: Bruce has a little family time.  
  
Disclaimer: All of the characters belong to DC. GRRRR. LOL  
  
Notes: Thanks to Tammy and Patty for beta reading for me. Char :-)  
  
Heart and Home:  
  
  
  
Sitting on the soft leather sofa in front of the large fireplace in the study, Bruce Wayne read the financial section of the Gotham Gazette. Wayne Enterprises acquisition of WizCom was receiving good press for the influx of jobs the acquisition promised Gotham. Bruce couldn't help but smile as he read this. There was something within him that needed to help his city, and if this was his way, well, he'd do what he could.  
  
He was deep in thought when her slender arms wrapped around his neck. He smelled her perfume -- it was her favorite, his favorite on her, and he knew she knew that. She'd fly to Paris just to buy it when she needed it. How could he love such a creature? How could he not?  
  
She took his newspaper from his hands and through it on the other end of the sofa, "Mr. Wayne haven't I told you to leave work at the office?"  
  
He looked up into her emerald eyes and smiled, "Mrs. Wayne, that was my newspaper, not work."  
  
"Newspaper about work is work," she replied as she allowed him to pull her over the sofa back and into his lap. She laughed.  
  
"Who wants to work when you're here Selina," Bruce replied playfully.  
  
"Aww man, you two are too old to be making out in public!"  
  
They turned to glare at their eldest son as he walked into the room. "Richard," Bruce replied, "your mother and I were enjoying a little privacy without the thundering herd for a moment."  
  
"Hey, it's boring without us around and you guys know it," Dick countered back as he moved over to kiss his mother who had risen from the sofa.  
  
"But a few nice boring moments alone are sometimes nice," Bruce mumbled.  
  
"Dick dear, I thought you were meeting Barbara for dinner tonight and then studying for your contracts midterms?" Selina inquired.  
  
"Well, we ... uh ... were. But ... uh ... got kinda sidetracked." Dick dropped in the overstuffed chair to the left of the sofa and sighed.  
  
Bruce and Selina looked at their son, worry on their faces. Bruce spoke up first, "What is it?"  
  
Dick shrugged his shoulders. "You know what they say about the best laid plans. Babs and I won't be getting married after law school." He watched his parents reaction as they turned from staring at him to each other then back to him again. He saw they were struggling with their words. He flashed them his widest and patented Richard John Grayson Wayne smile, "we'll be getting married sooner since she's pregnant."  
  
"You knocked Babs up?" Jason yelled from the doorway as he entered the room.  
  
Bruce rolled his eyes and sighed, "Jason, what have I told you about your language?"  
  
"Geez Dad, I'm sorry, but that was the last thing I expected big bro to say."  
  
Bruce nodded. It was the last thing he had expected too. Although, he supposed, he should have. Dick and Barbara had been dating each other since high school. They broke up in college and dated other people but they were back together by first year of law school. Bruce was glad. He always liked Barbara, always thought she was good for Dick. Bruce had hated that model Dick had dated while he was at NYU. Gold digger. But he had to expect his sons to have their share of that -- they were his heirs after all.  
  
Dick was laughing at his brother as they embraced, "Well you of all people should've, I tell you everything."  
  
"Yeah well, I know, but still, a kid? geez I'm glad we have Alfred, I'd so feel for a kid that you had to raise."  
  
"Very funny Jay, very funny," Dick said as he watched Jason walk to the study door. "What're you doing?"  
  
"Notifying the rest of the troops," Jason said with a wicked smile before he started yelling up the stairs, "Cass! Tim! Come here!"  
  
Bruce watched from the sofa as his two youngest children came bounding down the stairs. He couldn't help but smile. Cassandra had the cordless phone attached to her ear as usual. Talking to Bart Allen no doubt. Tim, as usual, was complaining about Cassandra hogging the phone line. All he wanted to do was call Stephanie Brown and if he couldn't he thought the world would end.  
  
Bruce walked over to his wife and wrapped his arms around her waist as he watched his children. The children they never thought they'd have when they first married. Selina had told him that she couldn't have children. It didn't matter to him, he loved her anyway. And they were going to have their life together -- without children. Then they were at the circus that night, the night Dick's biological parents were killed in a tragic accident. He and Selina watched that small child as he begged his parents not to be dead. Bruce remembered that feeling and his heart went out to Dick. Selina's, he found out, had too. She insisted that they take Dick home with  
  
them. Bruce, being Bruce Wayne managed to make that happen. They opened their hearts and their home to him, and soon found they wanted to be more than Dick's foster family, they were his family. The happiest day of their lives was the day they formally adopted him and he was theirs. That started them. Not long thereafter, they had adopted three other children and their home was now complete.  
  
What more could he want? What more did he need?  
  
Bruce turned and walked toward the window overlooking the grounds as he heard his family's excited chatter in the background. He smiled. Then, quickly, his smile faded as a bat flew past the window. Bats! Portents of evil. Bats -- a bat -- would take his family from him. His happiness from him. He knew that and a chill ran down his spine.  
  
Gasping, he awoke.  
  
Where was his family? Where was he?  
  
Looking around as his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he realized where he was. One of the emergency caves in the city. Sitting up on the bunk, he remembered he  
  
had stayed there after his disagreement with Nightwing. His ... soldiers ... were questioning his decisions. They didn't understand. He knew what was best. Knew what  
  
was best for all of them. Why didn't they understand?  
  
Batman stood up and walked to the small sink. He needed some water on his face. He splashed the water and looked up.  
  
Bruce Wayne stared back at him.  
  
Batman growled. Hadn't he already decided this -- that night alone in a cell in Blackgate. Bruce Wayne had placed them both in that cell -- was responsible for him  
  
not being able to do his work. "Your little dream won't work. You can't come back. You're a liability ... useless. Useless."  
  
The image before Batman didn't flinch. The cold hard eyes of Bruce Wayne stared determinedly back at him from the mirror.  
  
Batman wouldn't let Bruce Wayne win. Bruce was weak. He couldn't beat Batman. Could he?  
  
  
  
THE END . . .  
  
  
  
*** the ending here is based on Batman 600 -- or my take on it *** 


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